Deep Character Dive
Does your character feel flat? Are you having a hard time visualizing what your character feels or would do in a certain situation? Just want to liven up the character to make the table more alive? - Then try to step into the shoes of your character and answer some of the following questions: * What is something the party doesn’t know about your character? * Where in the world does your character most want to visit? * What is something your character regrets - present or past? * Describe the last time your character had a really good laugh. * Describe your characters most recent nightmare. * Everyone has a guilty pleasure, what’s yours? * Describe your characters perfect afternoon. * What is something your character is trying to improve about themselves? * Everyone has a nickname. What’s yours? Who calls you that? What do you think about it? * What does your character hope for the afterlife? * Describe a childhood friend. * Describe a childhood rival or enemy. * When was the last time your character felt like they lost control? What happened? * The quest is over, and you have downtime. What does your character do when apart from the party? * Describe a moment when your character felt vulnerable. * Who does your character look up to? * Who does your character revile? * Describe an irrational fear your character might have. Do they show it? * What interests your character outside of battle? Any hobbies? Do others know? * Describe a moment where you felt like a hero. * Describe a moment where you felt like a villain. Do you regret it? * If your character wasn’t an adventurer, what livelihood would they lead? * Who in the party would your character trust the most and why? * What are your character’s core moral beliefs? * What relationship does your character have with their parents and siblings? * Does your character have any biases for or against certain races? * What is your character’s opinion on nobility? On authority? * Describe your character’s current appearance: clothes, armor, scars they’ve picked up along the journey, etc. * What location encountered in the campaign has your character felt the most “at home” in, or just generally liked the most? * What deity, if any, does your character worship? What’s their opinion on other people’s worship? * If your character had time to pick up any artisan’s tools, game set, instrument, etc., what would it be? * Describe your character’s current relationship with the player character sitting to your right. * What is your character’s current goal, summed up in one sentence? * Does your character ever want to “settle down” with a spouse, children, house, etc.? * Has your character ever been in love? * What battle in the campaign has been most memorable to your character? * If your character wasn’t whatever class they are, what would they be instead? * What is your character’s favorite season? Why? * What would your character’s Zodiac sign be, following stereotypical astrology? * What is the biggest mistake your character has ever made? * Does your character have any noticeable scars? If so, what are their stories? * What animal best represents your character? * If your character could go back in time and change one thing about their life, what would it be? * Which other player character does your character find themselves having the most in common with? * Does your character regret any particular choice the party has made? * What would your character say their best trait would be? * What is your character’s greatest fear? Deep, irrational? * What is currently motivating your character to stay with the party? * What are your character’s hobbies and interests outside of their class? * What would most people think when they first see your character? * What stereotypical group role does your character play in the party? (The Mom, the Mess, the Comic Relief, etc. Optionally: What role would your character play in the “Five Man Band” structure?) * What is your character the most insecure about? * What person does your character admire most? * What does your character admire and dislike the most about the player character sitting to your left? * Why is your character’s lowest stat their lowest (the in-character reason, not “because there’s no reason for a wizard to have 16 strength, duh”)? * What would be your character’s theme song/favorite band/favorite genre of music? * What stereotypical role would your character play in a high school AU/if they attended a normal high school? (Nerd, jock, bully, goth, etc.) * What treasure/item/artifact that your character has collected during the adventure is the most important to them? * Is there any particular weapon, item, etc. that your character longs to find? * Where does your character feel the most at home? * Does your character care about how they’re perceived by others? How do they change themselves to fit in with other people? * What does your character think is the true meaning of life? * What is your character’s scent? (Bonus points for a description that sounds like it could be from a bad awesome fanfic.) * Does your character think more with their heart or their brain? * What is your character’s most recent or frequent nightmare? * How did your character spend their childhood? Where did they grow up/who were their childhood friends? * What aspect of your character’s future are they most curious about? (If they could know one thing about the future, what would it be?) * What colors are associated with your character? * Who in the party would your character prioritize rescuing, in dire circumstances? * Is your character the most swayed by ethos, pathos, or logos? * If your character was granted a single use of Wish, what would they use it for? * What is your character’s favorite spell? If they don’t use spells: what is their favorite personal weapon/combat maneuver/skill/etc.? * How does your character feel about keeping secrets from the rest of the party? * What type of creature in the world is your character the most intrigued by? * When they were a child, what did your character want to be, or think they were going to be, when they grew up? * The player character to your left admits that they’re passionately in love with your character. How would your character respond? * If somebody (an NPC, someone from their backstory, etc.) your character trusts/loves asked your character to do something against the party’s best interest, who would they side with? * Does your character value their own best interest more than the party’s? * What decision would the party have to make in order for your character to consider splitting off from the group? * How does your character imagine the way they will die? * What is your character’s greatest achievement? * Is your character willing to risk the well-being of others in order to achieve their goal? * What is your character’s opinion on killing others? * What is your character’s favorite food? Beverage? * How generous is your character? Especially to those they don’t know? * What is your character the most envious about, regarding anyone in the party? * The player character to your left and the player character to your right are both telling your character two different versions of the truth. Who does your character believe? * What is your character’s sexuality/relationship with sex? * What is your character’s biggest pet peeve? * Describe how your character feels about the party’s current situation/objective/etc. * Who in the party would your character trust the most to keep an important secret? * If your character knew that they were going to die in a month, how would they spend the rest of their life? * What makes your character feel safe? * If your character had the chance to rename the party/give the party a name, no questions asked, what would it be? * What memory does your character want to forget the most? * If your character had to multiclass into a class they currently aren’t the next time they level up, what would it be and what reason would they have for doing so? * What television/book/video game/etc. character would your character be best friends with? (Or: what media character is your character the most influenced by/similar to? * What unusual talents does your character possess? * How does your character feel about receiving/giving orders? Are they more of a leader, or a follower? * What does your character’s name represent to them? (Or: why as a player did you choose your character’s name?) * Is your character more of an introvert, or an extrovert? * How far is your character willing to go to pursue the “greater good”? Do they believe in a greater good at all? * What does your character want to be remembered by? * What would be your character’s major in college? * Does your character consider themselves a hero, villain, or something else? * What major arcana tarot card best represents your character? * Where does your character see themselves in 20 years? * What is your character’s relationship with magic? Are they scared of it, wish to know more about it, indifferent to it? * What is your character’s guiltiest pleasure? * Who in the party does your character trust the least? * What is your character’s biggest flaw? * How did your character learn the languages that they speak? * What is your character’s favorite school of magic/type of weaponry? * What is most important to your character: health, wealth, or happiness? * What advice would your character give to a younger version of themselves? * Are there any social or political issues your character feels strongly about? * What, currently, is your character the most curious about?